Absorbent articles with substrates having repeating patterns of apertures comprising a plurality of repeat units

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure is directed to absorbent articles with substrates or topsheets having repeating patterns of apertures comprising a plurality of repeat units. Each of the repeat units comprises at least three apertures.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/459,765, filed on Feb. 16, 2017,which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure is directed generally to absorbent articles withsubstrates or topsheets having repeating patterns of aperturescomprising a plurality of repeat units.

BACKGROUND

Absorbent articles are used to absorb and contain bodily exudates (e.g.,urine, menses, and BM) in infants, children, and adults. Absorbentarticles may comprise diapers, pants, adult incontinence products, andsanitary napkins, for example. The absorbent articles typically comprisea liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet, and anabsorbent core disposed at least partially the topsheet and thebacksheet. Apertures may be formed in the topsheet to allow bodilyexudate penetration through the topsheet. Apertures are sometimespresent in a topsheet in a uniform manner (e.g., a one size, one shapeaperture that is repeated throughout the topsheet with uniform spacingbetween the apertures). Topsheets with uniform aperture patterns may notbe desired because they do not look customized. If apertures were to bepresented in patterns, bodily exudate penetration becomes morecomplicated owing to the non-uniform nature of the topsheets. What isneeded are absorbent article topsheets comprising repeating patterns ofapertures comprising a plurality of repeat unit that perform parity toor better than topsheets with uniform aperture patterns with respect topenetration, absorbency, softness, run-off, and rewet.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides absorbent article with substrates ortopsheets having repeating patterns of apertures comprising a pluralityof repeat units that perform parity to or better than uniform aperturepatterns and that also provide consumers with a more fanciful topsheetthat is aesthetically appealing. The substrates or topsheets withrepeating patterns of apertures comprising a plurality of repeat unitsperform parity to or better than topsheets with uniform aperturepatterns with respect to penetration, absorbency, softness, run-off, andrewet. Repeating patterns of apertures comprising a plurality of repeatunits may further provide signals of multiple functions, such as largerapertures for absorbency and smaller apertures for breathability. Forsufficient bodily exudate acquisition and to minimize bodily exudaterun-off and leakage, it may be desirable to have a minimum size for theapertures in the repeat units and have certain effective open areas inthe topsheets to allow the bodily exudates to penetrate the topsheet andbe absorbed by the hydrophilic layers underneath the topsheet (e.g., anacquisition layer or an absorbent core). Effective open areas in thetopsheets that are too high, however, may lead to higher rewet andreduced softness of the topsheets. As such, desirable effective openareas in the range of 5% to 50%, 5% to 30%, or 5% to 15% may provide agood balance of softness and absorbency. When repeating patterns ofapertures comprising a plurality of repeat units (compared to uniformapertures throughout) are utilized in topsheets to enhance visualaesthetics and perception of performance, the same technicalrequirements apply. At the same effective open area ranges of a uniformapertured topsheet, a topsheet with the repeating pattern of aperturescomprising a plurality of repeat units may provide a topsheet that isnot only visually appealing, but also efficacious. If the individualrepeat units are too small (e.g., too many repeat units across a lateralwidth or longitudinal length of an absorbent article), the apertures, bynecessity, will also be smaller than desired for bodily exudatehandling. On the other hand, if the individual repeat units are toolarge, or are surrounded by too much land area (e.g., only one or oneand a half repeat units across an absorbent article width), the bodilyexudates may only be absorbed into the repeat unit area having aperturesand not into surrounding land areas of the repeat units that are free ofapertures and the absorbent article may not perform as well.

The present disclosure is directed, in part, to an absorbent articlecomprising a central lateral axis, a central longitudinal axis extendingperpendicular to the central lateral axis, a liquid permeable aperturedtopsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent core disposedat least partially intermediate the topsheet and the backsheet. Theabsorbent core may comprise an absorbent material that is substantiallyfree of air-felt or free of air-felt. The absorbent article has a totallength along the central longitudinal axis, as measured according to theRepeat Unit Measurement Test. The absorbent article has a total widthalong the central lateral axis, as measured according to the Repeat UnitMeasurement Test. The apertured topsheet comprises a repeating patternof apertures comprising a plurality of repeat units. Each of the repeatunits is the same or substantially the same. The repeat units repeatbetween about 3 and about 7 times along the total width, as measured bythe Repeat Unit Measurement Test herein. At least a majority of therepeat units have a repeat unit area in the range of about 200 mm² toabout 1500 mm² or about 900 mm² to about 1500 mm².

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as formingthe present invention, it is believed that the present disclosure willbe better understood from the following description which is taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which the designations areused to designate substantially identical elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an example absorbent article in the form of ataped diaper, garment-facing surface facing the viewer, in a flatlaid-out state;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the example absorbent article of FIG. 1,wearer-facing surface facing the viewer, in a flat laid-out state;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the absorbent article of FIGS. 1and 2 in a fastened position;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of an absorbent article in the formof a pant;

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the absorbent article of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the absorbent article of FIG. 4, laid flat,with a garment-facing surface facing the viewer;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the absorbent article taken aboutline 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the absorbent article taken aboutline 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of an example absorbent core or an absorbentarticle;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view, taken about line 10-10, of theabsorbent core of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view, taken about line 11-11, of theabsorbent core of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of an example absorbent article of the presentdisclosure that is a sanitary napkin;

FIG. 13 is an example cross-sectional view taken within a front waistregion of an absorbent article;

FIG. 14 is an example cross-sectional view taken within a crotch regionof an absorbent article;

FIG. 15 is an example cross-sectional view taken within a back waistregion of an absorbent article;

FIG. 16 is a photograph of a portion of repeat unit with apertures,wherein perimeters of at least some of the apertures comprise a meltlip;

FIGS. 17 and 18 are photographs of portions of topsheets comprisingrepeating patterns of apertures comprising a plurality of repeat units;

FIGS. 19-21 are schematic illustrations of portion of topsheetscomprising repeating patterns of apertures comprising a plurality ofrepeat units;

FIG. 22 is a schematic illustration of a portion of a topsheetcomprising a repeating pattern of apertures comprising a plurality ofrepeat unit, wherein the repeat units are substantially similar;

FIG. 23 is a schematic illustration of a portion of a topsheetcomprising a repeating pattern of apertures comprising a plurality ofrepeat unit, wherein the repeat units are substantially similar;

FIG. 24 is an example repeat unit boundary identification linked to theRepeat Unit Measurement Test herein;

FIG. 25 is an example repeat unit boundary identification taken in asubstrate comprising a repeating pattern of apertures comprising aplurality of repeat units linked to the Repeat Unit Measurement Testherein; and

FIG. 26 is an example absorbent article having a topsheet comprising arepeating pattern of apertures comprising a plurality of repeat unitslinked to the Repeat Unit Measurement Test herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various non-limiting forms of the present disclosure will now bedescribed to provide an overall understanding of the principles of thestructure, function, manufacture, and use of the absorbent articles withsubstrates having repeating patterns of apertures comprising a pluralityof repeat units disclosed herein. One or more examples of thesenon-limiting forms are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Thoseof ordinary skill in the art will understand that the absorbent articleswith substrates having repeating patterns of apertures comprising aplurality of repeat units specifically described herein and illustratedin the accompanying drawings are non-limiting example forms and that thescope of the various non-limiting forms of the present disclosure aredefined solely by the claims. The features illustrated or described inconnection with one non-limiting form may be combined with the featuresof other non-limiting forms. Such modifications and variations areintended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the term “absorbent article”, refers to devices whichabsorb and contain bodily exudates (e.g., BM, urine, menses), and, morespecifically, refers to devices which are placed against or in proximityto the body of the wearer to absorb and contain the various bodilyexudates discharged from the body. The term absorbent article includes,but is not limited to, diapers, pants, training pants, adultincontinence products, and sanitary napkins, and liners. The term“absorbent article” may also encompass cleaning or dusting pads orsubstrates that have some absorbency.

As used herein, the terms “join”, “joined”, “joining”, “bond”, “bonded”,“bonding”, “attach”, “attached”, or “attaching” encompass configurationswhereby an element is directly secured to another element by affixingthe element directly to the other element, and configurations whereby anelement is indirectly secured to another element by affixing the elementto intermediate member(s) which in turn are affixed to the otherelement.

As used herein, the term “nanofibers”, refers to very small diameterfibers having an average diameter less than about 1 micron.

As used herein, the term “meltblown”, refers to fibers formed byextruding a molten thermoplastic material through a plurality of fine,usually circular, die capillaries as molten threads or filaments into ahigh velocity gas (e.g., air) stream which attenuates the filaments ofmolten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter, which may be toa microfiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers are carded bythe high velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surfaceto form a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers.

As used herein, the term “spunbond”, refers to small diameter fiberswhich are formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material asfilaments from a plurality of fine, usually circular, capillaries of aspinneret with the diameter of the extruded filaments then being rapidlyreduced as by, for example, eductive drawing or other well-knownspunbonding mechanisms.

Example absorbent articles designs that may contain substrates ortopsheets with repeating patterns of apertures comprising a plurality ofrepeat units are first discussed below. The substrates may be topsheets,outer cover nonwoven materials, or other substrates of absorbentarticles.

General Description of an Absorbent Article

An example absorbent article 10 according to the present disclosure,shown in the form of a taped diaper, is represented in FIGS. 1-3. FIG. 1is a plan view of the example absorbent article 10, garment-facingsurface 2 facing the viewer in a flat, laid-out state (i.e., no elasticcontraction). FIG. 2 is a plan view of the example absorbent article 10of FIG. 1, wearer-facing surface 4 facing the viewer in a flat, laid-outstate. FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the absorbent article 10 ofFIGS. 1 and 2 in a fastened configuration. The absorbent article 10 ofFIGS. 1-3 is shown for illustration purposes only as the presentdisclosure may be used for making a wide variety of diapers, includingadult incontinence products, pants, or other absorbent articles, such assanitary napkins and absorbent pads, for example.

The absorbent article 10 may comprise a front waist region 12, a crotchregion 14, and a back waist region 16. The crotch region 14 may extendintermediate the front waist region 12 and the back waist region 16. Thefront wait region 12, the crotch region 14, and the back waist region 16may each be ⅓ of the length of the absorbent article 10. The absorbentarticle 10 may comprise a front end edge 18, a back end edge 20 oppositeto the front end edge 18, and longitudinally extending, transverselyopposed side edges 22 and 24 defined by the chassis 52.

The absorbent article 10 may comprise a liquid permeable topsheet 26, aliquid impermeable backsheet 28, and an absorbent core 30 positioned atleast partially intermediate the topsheet 26 and the backsheet 28. Theabsorbent article 10 may also comprise one or more pairs of barrier legcuffs 32 with or without elastics 33, one or more pairs of leg elastics34, one or more elastic waistbands 36, and/or one or more acquisitionmaterials 38. The acquisition material or materials 38 may be positionedintermediate the topsheet 26 and the absorbent core 30. An outer covermaterial 40, such as a nonwoven material, may cover a garment-facingside of the backsheet 28. The absorbent article 10 may comprise backears 42 in the back waist region 16. The back ears 42 may comprisefasteners 46 and may extend from the back waist region 16 of theabsorbent article 10 and attach (using the fasteners 46) to the landingzone area or landing zone material 44 on a garment-facing portion of thefront waist region 12 of the absorbent article 10. The absorbent article10 may also have front ears 47 in the front waist region 12. Theabsorbent article 10 may have a central lateral (or transverse) axis 48and a central longitudinal axis 50. The central lateral axis 48 extendsperpendicular to the central longitudinal axis 50.

In other instances, the absorbent article may be in the form of a panthaving permanent or refastenable side seams. Suitable refastenable seamsare disclosed in U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2014/0005020 and U.S. Pat. No.9,421,137. Referring to FIGS. 4-8, an example absorbent article 10 inthe form of a pant is illustrated. FIG. 4 is a front perspective view ofthe absorbent article 10. FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of theabsorbent article 10. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the absorbent article 10,laid flat, with the garment-facing surface facing the viewer. Elementsof FIG. 4-8 having the same reference number as described above withrespect to FIGS. 1-3 may be the same element (e.g., absorbent core 30).FIG. 7 is an example cross-sectional view of the absorbent article takenabout line 7-7 of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is an example cross-sectional view ofthe absorbent article taken about line 8-8 of FIG. 6. FIGS. 7 and 8illustrate example forms of front and back belts 54, 56. The absorbentarticle 10 may have a front waist region 12, a crotch region 14, and aback waist region 16. Each of the regions 12, 14, and 16 may be ⅓ of thelength of the absorbent article 10. The absorbent article 10 may have achassis 52 (sometimes referred to as a central chassis or central panel)comprising a topsheet 26, a backsheet 28, and an absorbent core 30disposed at least partially intermediate the topsheet 26 and thebacksheet 28, and an optional acquisition material 38, similar to thatas described above with respect to FIGS. 1-3. The absorbent article 10may comprise a front belt 54 in the front waist region 12 and a backbelt 56 in the back waist region 16. The chassis 52 may be joined to awearer-facing surface 4 of the front and back belts 54, 56 or to agarment-facing surface 2 of the belts 54, 56. Side edges 23 and 25 ofthe front belt 54 may be joined to side edges 27 and 29, respectively,of the back belt 56 to form two side seams 58. The side seams 58 may beany suitable seams known to those of skill in the art, such as buttseams or overlap seams, for example. When the side seams 58 arepermanently formed or refastenably closed, the absorbent article 10 inthe form of a pant has two leg openings 60 and a waist openingcircumference 62. The side seams 58 may be permanently joined usingadhesives or bonds, for example, or may be refastenably closed usinghook and loop fasteners, for example.

Belts

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the front and back belts 54 and 56 maycomprise front and back inner belt layers 66 and 67 and front and backouter belt layers 64 and 65 having an elastomeric material (e.g.,strands 68 or a film (which may be apertured)) disposed at leastpartially therebetween. The elastic elements 68 or the film may berelaxed (including being cut) to reduce elastic strain over theabsorbent core 30 or, may alternatively, run continuously across theabsorbent core 30. The elastics elements 68 may have uniform or variablespacing therebetween in any portion of the belts. The elastic elements68 may also be pre-strained the same amount or different amounts. Thefront and/or back belts 54 and 56 may have one or more elastic elementfree zones 70 where the chassis 52 overlaps the belts 54, 56. In otherinstances, at least some of the elastic elements 68 may extendcontinuously across the chassis 52.

The front and back inner belt layers 66, 67 and the front and back outerbelt layers 64, 65 may be joined using adhesives, heat bonds, pressurebonds or thermoplastic bonds. Various suitable belt layer configurationscan be found in U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2013/0211363.

Front and back belt end edges 55 and 57 may extend longitudinally beyondthe front and back chassis end edges 19 and 21 (as shown in FIG. 6) orthey may be co-terminus. The front and back belt side edges 23, 25, 27,and 29 may extend laterally beyond the chassis side edges 22 and 24. Thefront and back belts 54 and 56 may be continuous (i.e., having at leastone layer that is continuous) from belt side edge to belt side edge(e.g., the transverse distances from 23 to 25 and from 27 to 29).Alternatively, the front and back belts 54 and 56 may be discontinuousfrom belt side edge to belt side edge (e.g., the transverse distancesfrom 23 to 25 and 27 to 29), such that they are discrete.

As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,901,393, the longitudinal length (alongthe central longitudinal axis 50) of the back belt 56 may be greaterthan the longitudinal length of the front belt 54, and this may beparticularly useful for increased buttocks coverage when the back belt56 has a greater longitudinal length versus the front belt 54 adjacentto or immediately adjacent to the side seams 58.

The front outer belt layer 64 and the back outer belt layer 65 may beseparated from each other, such that the layers are discrete or,alternatively, these layers may be continuous, such that a layer runscontinuously from the front belt end edge 55 to the back belt end edge57. This may also be true for the front and back inner belt layers 66and 67—that is, they may also be longitudinally discrete or continuous.Further, the front and back outer belt layers 64 and 65 may belongitudinally continuous while the front and back inner belt layers 66and 67 are longitudinally discrete, such that a gap is formed betweenthem—a gap between the front and back inner and outer belt layers 64,65, 66, and 67 is shown in FIG. 7 and a gap between the front and backinner belt layers 66 and 67 is shown in FIG. 8.

The front and back belts 54 and 56 may include slits, holes, and/orperforations providing increased breathability, softness, and agarment-like texture. Underwear-like appearance can be enhanced bysubstantially aligning the waist and leg edges at the side seams 58 (seeFIGS. 4 and 5).

The front and back belts 54 and 56 may comprise graphics (see e.g., 78of FIG. 1). The graphics may extend substantially around the entirecircumference of the absorbent article 10 and may be disposed acrossside seams 58 and/or across proximal front and back belt seams 15 and17; or, alternatively, adjacent to the seams 58, 15, and 17 in themanner described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,498,389 to create a moreunderwear-like article. The graphics may also be discontinuous.

Alternatively, instead of attaching belts 54 and 56 to the chassis 52 toform a pant, discrete side panels may be attached to side edges of thechassis 22 and 24. Suitable forms of pants comprising discrete sidepanels are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,645,190; 8,747,379; 8,372,052;8,361,048; 6,761,711; 6,817,994; 8,007,485; 7,862,550; 6,969,377;7,497,851; 6,849,067; 6,893,426; 6,953,452; 6,840,928; 8,579,876;7,682,349; 7,156,833; and 7,201,744.

Topsheet

The topsheet 26 is the part of the absorbent article 10 that is incontact with the wearer's skin. The topsheet 26 may be joined toportions of the backsheet 28, the absorbent core 30, the barrier legcuffs 32, and/or any other layers as is known to those of ordinary skillin the art. The topsheet 26 may be compliant, soft-feeling, andnon-irritating to the wearer's skin. Further, at least a portion of, orall of, the topsheet may be liquid permeable, permitting liquid bodilyexudates to readily penetrate through its thickness. Some topsheets maybe manufactured from a wide range of materials, such as porous foams,reticulated foams, apertured plastic films, woven materials, nonwovenmaterials, woven or nonwoven materials of natural fibers (e.g., wood orcotton fibers), synthetic fibers or filaments (e.g., polyester orpolypropylene or bicomponent PE/PP fibers or mixtures thereof), or acombination of natural and synthetic fibers. The topsheet may have oneor more layers. The topsheet may be apertured (e.g., FIG. 2, element27), may have any suitable three-dimensional features, and/or may have aplurality of embossments (e.g., a bond pattern). The topsheet may beapertured by overbonding a material and then rupturing the overbondsthrough ring rolling, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,097, toBenson et al., issued on May 13, 1997 and disclosed in U.S. Pat. Appl.Publication No. US 2016/0136014 to Arora et al. Any portion of thetopsheet may be coated with a skin care composition, an antibacterialagent, a surfactant, and/or other beneficial agents. The topsheet may behydrophilic or hydrophobic or may have hydrophilic and/or hydrophobicportions or layers. If the topsheet is hydrophobic, typically apertureswill be present so that bodily exudates may pass through the topsheet.Repeating patterns of apertures comprising a plurality of repeat unitsin the topsheets will be discussed in greater detail below.

Backsheet

The backsheet 28 is generally that portion of the absorbent article 10positioned proximate to the garment-facing surface of the absorbent core30. The backsheet 28 may be joined to portions of the topsheet 26, theouter cover material 40, the absorbent core 30, and/or any other layersof the absorbent article by any attachment methods known to those ofskill in the art. The backsheet 28 prevents, or at least inhibits, thebodily exudates absorbed and contained in the absorbent core 10 fromsoiling articles such as bedsheets, undergarments, and/or clothing. Thebacksheet is typically liquid impermeable, or at least substantiallyliquid impermeable. The backsheet may, for example, be or comprise athin plastic film, such as a thermoplastic film having a thickness ofabout 0.012 mm to about 0.051 mm. Other suitable backsheet materials mayinclude breathable materials which permit vapors to escape from theabsorbent article, while still preventing, or at least inhibiting,bodily exudates from passing through the backsheet.

Outer Cover Material

The outer cover material (sometimes referred to as a backsheet nonwoven)40 may comprise one or more nonwoven materials joined to the backsheet28 and that covers the backsheet 28. The outer cover material 40 formsat least a portion of the garment-facing surface 2 of the absorbentarticle 10 and effectively “covers” the backsheet 28 so that film is notpresent on the garment-facing surface 2. The outer cover material 40 maycomprise a bond pattern, apertures, and/or three-dimensional features.The outer cover material 40 may have the repeating patterns of aperturescomprising the plurality of repeat units discussed herein.

Absorbent Core

As used herein, the term “absorbent core” 30 refers to the component ofthe absorbent article 10 having the most absorbent capacity and thatcomprises an absorbent material. Referring to FIGS. 9-11, in someinstances, absorbent material 72 may be positioned within a core bag ora core wrap 74. The absorbent material may be profiled or not profiled,depending on the specific absorbent article. The absorbent core 30 maycomprise, consist essentially of, or consist of, a core wrap, absorbentmaterial 72, and glue enclosed within the core wrap. The absorbentmaterial may comprise superabsorbent polymers, a mixture ofsuperabsorbent polymers and air felt, only air felt, and/or a highinternal phase emulsion foam. In some instances, the absorbent materialmay comprise at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, atleast 99%, or up to 100% superabsorbent polymers, by weight of theabsorbent material. In such instances, the absorbent material may freeof air felt, or at least mostly free of air felt. The absorbent coreperiphery, which may be the periphery of the core wrap, may define anysuitable shape, such as rectangular “T,” “Y,” “hour-glass,” or“dog-bone” shaped, for example. An absorbent core periphery having agenerally “dog bone” or “hour-glass” shape may taper along its widthtowards the crotch region 14 of the absorbent article 10.

Referring to FIGS. 9-11, the absorbent core 30 may have areas havinglittle or no absorbent material 72, where a wearer-facing surface of thecore bag 74 may be joined to a garment-facing surface of the core bag74. These areas having little or no absorbent material may be referredto as “channels” 76. These channels can embody any suitable shapes andany suitable number of channels may be provided. In other instances, theabsorbent core may be embossed to create the impression of channels. Theabsorbent core in FIGS. 9-11 is merely an example absorbent core. Manyother absorbent cores with or without channels are also within the scopeof the present disclosure.

Barrier Leg Cuffs/Leg Elastics

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, the absorbent article 10 maycomprise one or more pairs of barrier leg cuffs 32 and one or more pairsof leg elastics 34. The barrier leg cuffs 32 may be positioned laterallyinboard of leg elastics 34. Each barrier leg cuff 32 may be formed by apiece of material which is bonded to the absorbent article 10 so it canextend upwards from a wearer-facing surface 4 of the absorbent article10 and provide improved containment of body exudates approximately atthe junction of the torso and legs of the wearer. The barrier leg cuffs32 are delimited by a proximal edge joined directly or indirectly to thetopsheet and/or the backsheet and a free terminal edge, which isintended to contact and form a seal with the wearer's skin. The barrierleg cuffs 32 may extend at least partially between the front end edge 18and the back end edge 20 of the absorbent article 10 on opposite sidesof the central longitudinal axis 50 and may be at least present in thecrotch region 14. The barrier leg cuffs 32 may each comprise one or moreelastics 33 (e.g., elastic strands or strips) near or at the freeterminal edge. These elastics 33 cause the barrier leg cuffs 32 to helpform a seal around the legs and torso of a wearer. The leg elastics 34extend at least partially between the front end edge 18 and the back endedge 20. The leg elastics 34 essentially cause portions of the absorbentarticle 10 proximate to the chassis side edges 22, 24 to help form aseal around the legs of the wearer. The leg elastics 34 may extend atleast within the crotch region 14.

Elastic Waistband

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the absorbent article 10 may comprise one ormore elastic waistbands 36. The elastic waistbands 36 may be positionedon the garment-facing surface 2 or the wearer-facing surface 4. As anexample, a first elastic waistband 36 may be present in the front waistregion 12 near the front belt end edge 18 and a second elastic waistband36 may be present in the back waist region 16 near the back end edge 20.The elastic waistbands 36 may aid in sealing the absorbent article 10around a waist of a wearer and at least inhibiting bodily exudates fromescaping the absorbent article 10 through the waist openingcircumference. In some instances, an elastic waistband may fullysurround the waist opening circumference of an absorbent article.

Acquisition Materials

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 7, and 8, one or more acquisition materials 38may be present at least partially intermediate the topsheet 26 and theabsorbent core 30. The acquisition materials 38 are typicallyhydrophilic materials that provide significant wicking of bodilyexudates. These materials may dewater the topsheet 26 and quickly movebodily exudates into the absorbent core 30. The acquisition materials 38may comprise one or more nonwoven materials, foams, cellulosicmaterials, cross-linked cellulosic materials, air laid cellulosicnonwoven materials, spunlace materials, or combinations thereof, forexample. In some instances, portions of the acquisition materials 38 mayextend through portions of the topsheet 26, portions of the topsheet 26may extend through portions of the acquisition materials 38, and/or thetopsheet 26 may be nested with the acquisition materials 38. Typically,an acquisition material 38 may have a width and length that are smallerthan the width and length of the topsheet 26. The acquisition materialmay be a secondary topsheet in the feminine pad context. The acquisitionmaterial may have one or more channels as described above with referenceto the absorbent core 30 (including the embossed version). The channelsin the acquisition material may align or not align with channels in theabsorbent core 30. In an example, a first acquisition material maycomprise a nonwoven material and as second acquisition material maycomprise a cross-linked cellulosic material. In some instances, theacquisition material may comprise the repeating pattern of aperturescomprising the plurality of repeat units discussed herein.

Landing Zone

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the absorbent article 10 may have a landingzone area 44 that is formed in a portion of the garment-facing surface 2of the outer cover material 40. The landing zone area 44 may be in theback waist region 16 if the absorbent article 10 fastens from front toback or may be in the front waist region 12 if the absorbent article 10fastens back to front. In some instances, the landing zone 44 may be ormay comprise one or more discrete nonwoven materials that are attachedto a portion of the outer cover material 40 in the front waist region 12or the back waist region 16 depending upon whether the absorbent articlefastens in the front or the back. In essence, the landing zone 44 isconfigured to receive the fasteners 46 and may comprise, for example, aplurality of loops configured to be engaged with, a plurality of hookson the fasteners 46, or vice versa. The landing zone may comprise therepeating pattern of apertures comprising the plurality of repeat unitsdiscussed herein.

Wetness Indicator/Graphics

Referring to FIG. 1, the absorbent articles 10 of the present disclosuremay comprise graphics 78 and/or wetness indicators 80 that are visiblefrom the garment-facing surface 2. The graphics 78 may be printed on thelanding zone 40, the backsheet 28, and/or at other locations. Thewetness indicators 80 are typically applied to the absorbent core facingside of the backsheet 28, so that they can be contacted by bodilyexudates within the absorbent core 30. In some instances, the wetnessindicators 80 may form portions of the graphics 78. For example, awetness indicator may appear or disappear and create/remove a characterwithin some graphics. In other instances, the wetness indicators 80 maycoordinate (e.g., same design, same pattern, same color) or notcoordinate with the graphics 78.

Front and Back Ears

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, as referenced above, the absorbent article10 may have front and/or back ears 47, 42 in a taped diaper context.Only one set of ears may be required in most taped diapers. The singleset of ears may comprise fasteners 46 configured to engage the landingzone or landing zone area 44. If two sets of ears are provided, in mostinstances, only one set of the ears may have fasteners 46, with theother set being free of fasteners. The ears, or portions thereof, may beelastic or may have elastic panels. In an example, an elastic film orelastic strands may be positioned intermediate a first nonwoven materialand a second nonwoven material. The elastic film may or may not beapertured. The ears may be shaped. The ears may be integral (e.g.,extension of the outer cover material 40, the backsheet 28, and/or thetopsheet 26) or may be discrete components attached to a chassis 52 ofthe absorbent article on a wearer-facing surface 4, on thegarment-facing surface 2, or intermediate the two surfaces 4, 2.

Sensors

Referring again to FIG. 1, the absorbent articles of the presentdisclosure may comprise a sensor system 82 for monitoring changes withinthe absorbent article 10. The sensor system 82 may be discrete from orintegral with the absorbent article 10. The absorbent article 10 maycomprise sensors that can sense various aspects of the absorbent article10 associated with insults of bodily exudates such as urine and/or BM(e.g., the sensor system 82 may sense variations in temperature,humidity, presence of ammonia or urea, various vapor components of theexudates (urine and feces), changes in moisture vapor transmissionthrough the absorbent articles garment-facing layer, changes intranslucence of the garment-facing layer, and/or color changes throughthe garment-facing layer). Additionally, the sensor system 82 may sensecomponents of urine, such as ammonia or urea and/or byproducts resultingfrom reactions of these components with the absorbent article 10. Thesensor system 82 may sense byproducts that are produced when urine mixeswith other components of the absorbent article 10 (e.g., adhesives,agm). The components or byproducts being sensed may be present as vaporsthat may pass through the garment-facing layer. It may also be desirableto place reactants in the absorbent article that change state (e.g.color, temperature) or create a measurable byproduct when mixed withurine or BM. The sensor system 82 may also sense changes in pH,pressure, odor, the presence of gas, blood, a chemical marker or abiological marker or combinations thereof. The sensor system 82 may havea component on or proximate to the absorbent article that transmits asignal to a receiver more distal from the absorbent article, such as aniPhone, for example. The receiver may output a result to communicate tothe caregiver a condition of the absorbent article 10. In otherinstances, a receiver may not be provided, but instead the condition ofthe absorbent article 10 may be visually or audibly apparent from thesensor on the absorbent article.

Packages

The absorbent articles of the present disclosure may be placed intopackages. The packages may comprise polymeric films and/or othermaterials. Graphics and/or indicia relating to properties of theabsorbent articles may be formed on, printed on, positioned on, and/orplaced on outer portions of the packages. Each package may comprise aplurality of absorbent articles. The absorbent articles may be packedunder compression so as to reduce the size of the packages, while stillproviding an adequate amount of absorbent articles per package. Bypackaging the absorbent articles under compression, caregivers caneasily handle and store the packages, while also providing distributionsavings to manufacturers owing to the size of the packages.

Arrays

“Array” means a display of packages comprising disposable absorbentarticles of different article constructions (e.g., different elastomericmaterials [compositionally and/or structurally] in the side panels, sideflaps and/or belts flaps, different graphic elements, different productstructures, fasteners or lack thereof). The packages may have the samebrand and/or sub-brand and/or the same trademark registration and/orhaving been manufactured by or for a common manufacturer and thepackages may be available at a common point of sale (e.g. oriented inproximity to each other in a given area of a retail store). An array ismarketed as a line-up of products normally having like packagingelements (e.g., packaging material type, film, paper, dominant color,design theme, etc.) that convey to consumers that the differentindividual packages are part of a larger line-up. Arrays often have thesame brand, for example, “Huggies,” and same sub-brand, for example,“Pull-Ups.” A different product in the array may have the same brand“Huggies” and the sub-brand “Little Movers.” The differences between the“Pull-Ups” product of the array and the “Little Movers” product in thearray may include product form, application style, different fasteningdesigns or other structural elements intended to address the differencesin physiological or psychological development. Furthermore, thepackaging is distinctly different in that “Pull-Ups” is packaged in apredominately blue or pink film bag and “Little Movers” is packaged in apredominately red film bag.

Further regarding “Arrays,” as another example an array may be formed bydifferent products having different product forms manufactured by thesame manufacturer, for example, “Kimberly-Clark”, and bearing a commontrademark registration for example, one product may have the brand name“Huggies,” and sub-brand, for example, “Pull-Ups.” A different productin the array may have a brand/sub-brand “Good Nites” and both areregistered trademarks of The Kimberly-Clark Corporation and/or aremanufactured by Kimberly-Clark. Arrays also often have the sametrademarks, including trademarks of the brand, sub-brand, and/orfeatures and/or benefits across the line-up. “On-line Array” means an“Array” distributed by a common on-line source.

Sanitary Napkin

Referring to FIG. 12, an absorbent article of the present disclosure maybe a sanitary napkin 110. The sanitary napkin 110 may comprise a liquidpermeable topsheet 114, a liquid impermeable, or substantially liquidimpermeable, backsheet 116, and an absorbent core 118. The liquidimpermeable backsheet 116 may or may not be vapor permeable. Theabsorbent core 118 may have any or all of the features described hereinwith respect to the absorbent core 30 and, in some forms, may have asecondary topsheet 119 (STS) instead of the acquisition materialsdisclosed above. The STS 119 may comprise one or more channels, asdescribed above (including the embossed version). In some forms,channels in the STS 119 may be aligned with channels in the absorbentcore 118. The sanitary napkin 110 may also comprise wings 120 extendingoutwardly with respect to a longitudinal axis 180 of the sanitary napkin110. The sanitary napkin 110 may also comprise a lateral axis 190. Thewings 120 may be joined to the topsheet 114, the backsheet 116, and/orthe absorbent core 118. The sanitary napkin 110 may also comprise afront edge 122, a back edge 124 longitudinally opposing the front edge122, a first side edge 126, and a second side edge 128 longitudinallyopposing the first side edge 126. The longitudinal axis 180 may extendfrom a midpoint of the front edge 122 to a midpoint of the back edge124. The lateral axis 190 may extend from a midpoint of the first sideedge 128 to a midpoint of the second side edge 128. The sanitary napkin110 may also be provided with additional features commonly found insanitary napkins as is known in the art. The topsheet or secondarytopsheet of the sanitary napkin may comprise the repeating pattern ofapertures comprising the plurality of repeat units discussed herein.

Examples Cross-Sections of Absorbent Articles

FIGS. 13-15 illustrate example cross-sectional views of absorbentarticles within the scope of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is anexample cross-sectional view taken within a front waist region 12 of anabsorbent article. FIG. 14 is an example cross-sectional view takenwithin a crotch region 14 of an absorbent article. FIG. 15 is an examplecross-sectional view taken within a back waist region 16 of an absorbentarticle. In FIGS. 13-15, an outer cover material is element 40, a liquidpermeable topsheet is element 26, opacity patches are elements 84, aliquid impermeable backsheet is element 28, an absorbent core is element30, with the core bag being element 74, an absorbent material is element72, and a distribution material is element 86. The distribution material86 may comprise cross-linked cellulosic material and may be optional. Anacquisition material is element 88. A liquid permeable topsheet iselement 26. Barrier leg cuffs are elements 90. Elastics in the barrierleg cuffs are elements 92. Back ears are elements 42. Fasteners on theback ears 42 are elements 46. Construction glues and/or bonds betweenthe various layers and/or components have been removed for clarity.Other cross-sectional configurations known to those of skill in the artare also within the scope of the present disclosure.

Substrates

The substrates in the absorbent articles having the repeating pattern ofapertures comprising the plurality of repeat units may be topsheets,topsheet laminates, acquisition materials, topsheet and acquisitionmaterial laminates, outer cover nonwoven materials, nonwoven materialsof ears, landing zones, and/or other substrates in absorbent articles.The substrates may have one or more layers. In various instances, thesubstrates or topsheets may comprise one or more nonwoven materials, oneor more films, or one or more nonwovens and one or more films, forexample. The repeating pattern of apertures comprising the plurality ofrepeat units will be discussed in the topsheet context below, but thepresent disclosure covers other substrates and/or laminates in anabsorbent article. The repeating pattern of apertures comprising theplurality of repeat units may be used for more than one component of anabsorbent article, such as a topsheet and an outer cover nonwovenmaterial, for example. In another instance, the topsheet and the outercover nonwoven material may have the same pattern, but the topsheet mayutilize apertures to create the pattern and the outer cover nonwovenmaterial may utilize embossing to create the same or a similar pattern.

Topsheets

The topsheets of the absorbent articles discussed above are nowdescribed in greater detail. The topsheets may each comprise one or morenonwoven materials and/or one or more films. Each nonwoven material mayhave one or more layers (i.e., Spunbond-meltblown-spunbond). Any of thelayers may comprise cotton or natural fibers. In an example, a topsheetmay have two layers of a nonwoven material. A first layer may form awearer-facing surface of the topsheet in the absorbent article and asecond layer may form a garment-facing surface of the topsheet in theabsorbent article. The first and second layers may be hydrophobic orhydrophilic. The first layer may be more hydrophobic or more hydrophilicthan the second layer. The first layer may be hydrophobic, while thesecond layer may be hydrophilic. Both layers may be hydrophobic orhydrophilic. The topsheet may comprise spunbond fibers, carded fibers,cotton fibers, meltblown fibers, nanofibers (i.e., less than one micro),and/or other suitable type of fibers (natural or synthetic). The firstlayer and/or the second layer may comprise spunbond fibers. The firstlayer may comprise spunbond fibers or carded fibers and the second layermay comprise spunbond fibers or carded fibers. The topsheet may comprisea whitening or opacifying agent, such as Titanium Dioxide, for example.The apertures of the repeating pattern of apertures may extend throughall layers of a topsheet or may extend through less than all layers of atopsheet. For example, a first layer of a topsheet may have apertureswhile a second layer may not. The topsheets or substrates may compriseprinting, ink, colored glues, and/or indicia on one or more layersthereof. Any of the layers may be tinted or colored (other than white).For example, a first layer may be white and a second layer may be lightblue. As another example, the first layer may be light blue while asecond layer may be dark blue. The various layers may or may not havethe same color and/or opacity.

Repeat Units

The topsheets of the present disclosure may comprise a plurality ofrepeat units. Each of the repeat units may have at least two (or 3, or4, or 5 etc.) apertures having a different size, shape, aspect ratio(i.e., major axis to minor axis), and/or angle relative to a centrallongitudinal axis of a topsheet on an absorbent article. In anotherinstance, each of the repeat units may have at least 3 (or 4, or 5 etc.)apertures having a different size, shape, aspect ratio, and/or anglerelative to the central longitudinal axis of a topsheet on an absorbentarticle. Each repeat unit will have at least three apertures, and likelymore than three apertures. In some instances, all of the apertures in arepeat unit may be the same or different in size, shape, aspect ratio,and/or angle relative to the central longitudinal axis of a topsheet onan absorbent article. In other instances, some of the apertures in arepeat unit may be the same or different in size, shape, aspect ratio,and/or angle relative to the central longitudinal axis of a topsheet inan absorbent article. When it is said that the various apertures in arepeat until are “the same” or “different” this means the design isintended to be the same or different and is not merely processtolerances.

In an instance, substrates or topsheets comprising repeating patterns ofapertures comprising the plurality of repeat units may have repeat unitsthat all have the same apertures. Stated another way, all of theapertures in a repeat unit may be the same size, shape etc. and therepeat units may all be the same or at least a majority of the repeatunits may be the same.

In some examples, and referring to FIG. 16, portions of perimeters of atleast some of the apertures 310 in the repeat units may comprise one ormore melt lips 312 or fused portions. in some examples, portions ofperimeters of at least some of the apertures may be free of a melt lip.Thus, in certain examples, the one or more melt lips 312 may at leastpartially or fully surround the apertures 310. In an example, the one ormore melt lips 312 may surround from about 25% of a perimeter of theapertures 310 to about 100% of the perimeter of the apertures 310. Incertain examples, the one or more melt lips 312 may be formed on lateralsides of the apertures 310 and not on leading and/or trailing edges ofthe apertures 310 (see MD and CD arrows for reference in FIG. 16). It isbelieved that the one or more melt lips 312 may be formed during anoverbonding step (as taught in U.S. Pat. Appl. Publication No.2016/0136014 to Arora et al.) and may add strength to an aperturedtopsheet, for example.

Examples of portions of substrates or topsheet comprising repeatingpatterns of apertures comprising a plurality of repeat units areillustrated in FIGS. 17-21. Apertures are identified as 310 and landareas are identified as 314. Additional aperture patterns andconfigurations, including example methods of making are disclosed inU.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2016/0136014 to Arora et al.

Various suitable processes for aperturing the substrates or topsheetsdescribed herein may be utilized. For example, the apertures in thesubstrates or topsheets may be formed by hydroforming carded webs, lasercutting, punching with a patterned roll, hot pin methods, overbondingand ring rolling as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Appl. Publication No. US2016/0136014, or other suitable methods. Additional aperturing processesthat may be utilized are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,023,261,8,158,043, 8,241,543, and 8,679,391, for example.

Referring to FIGS. 20 and 21, an equity element 316 may be present in acentral area of each repeat unit, or less than each repeat unit. Theequity element 316 may be a heart, leaf, star, logo, brand identifier,or any other suitable element. The equity element 316 may have a definedspace 318 surrounding it in at least a majority of the repeat units. Thedefined space 318 may be a land area without apertures. In certainpatterned repeat units, it may be important to have this defined space318 surrounding the equity element 316 to allow the equity element 316to stand out to a viewer. The defined space 318 may be surrounded by agrid of apertures 320. The grid of apertures 320 may have apertures thatare different or the same in size, shape, aspect ratio, and/or anglerelative to the central longitudinal axis of a topsheet on an absorbentarticle compared to the aperture or apertures forming the equityelement. The grid may form a diamond pattern. The grid may be formed ofone or more rows of apertures.

Referring again to FIGS. 20 and 21, at least some of the apertures inone or more of the repeat units may be different in size and/or shapethan other apertures in the one or more repeat units, excluding processtolerances. Further, at least some of the apertures in one or morerepeat units may be the same in size and/or shape as other apertures inthe one or more repeat units, excluding process tolerances. Each repeatunit, or some repeat units, may comprise a central region of one or moreapertures 500 that is spaced apart from other apertures 502. Each repeatunit, or some repeat units, may comprise a central pattern of one ormore apertures 504 that may be fully, or partially surrounded by anouter pattern of apertures 506.

Substantially Similar Repeat Units

Although, in some instances, the apertures in each repeat unit aregenerally designed to be the same, process variations may cause therepeat units to appear slightly different. Examples of repeat units thatare substantially similar are illustrated in FIGS. 22 and 23. Referringto FIG. 22, a repeating pattern of apertures 400 comprising a pluralityof repeat units 402, 404, and 406 are illustrated in a substrate 408.The apertures 400 in the repeat units 402 and 406 are the same, but atleast one aperture 401 in the repeat unit 404 is slightly different fromthe apertures 400. This could be from process conditions were theaperture 401 did not fully form or rupture or from variations in aprecursor material. Referring to FIG. 23, a repeating pattern ofapertures 400′ comprising a plurality of repeat units 402′, 404′, and406′ are illustrated in a substrate 408′. The apertures in the repeatunits 402′ and 406 are the same, but at least one aperture 401′ isslightly different from the apertures 400′. This could be from processconditions were the aperture 401′ did not form or rupture or fromvariations in a precursor material. The repeat units 402, 404, and 406may be considered substantially the same and, likewise, the repeat units402′, 404′, and 406′ may be considered substantially the same. In otherinstances, various apertures of the repeat unit may be slightly angledrelative to a central longitudinal axis or a central lateral axis andthe repeat units may still be considered substantially the same. Also,the shapes and sizes of the various apertures in the various repeatunits may be slightly different and the repeat units may still beconsidered substantially the same.

Aperture Aspect Ratio

The apertures of the repeating pattern of apertures comprising theplurality of repeat units may have an aspect ratio of greater than one,for example, greater than two, greater than 3, greater than 5, orgreater than 10, but typically less than 15, according to the ApertureTest herein. The repeat units may comprise apertures having more thanone aspect ratio, such as two or more distinct populations or having asubstantially continuous distribution of aspect ratios having a slopegreater than zero. Additionally, the repeat units may comprise apertureswith more than two effective aperture areas, either as two or moredistinct populations or as a distribution of aperture areas having aslope greater than zero. The Relative Standard Deviation of the apertureaspect ratios in the apertures of the repeating pattern of aperturescomprising repeat units may be at least about 30%, at least about 40%,or at least about 45%.

Aperture Density

The apertures of the repeating pattern of apertures comprising theplurality of repeat units may have an Aperture Density, according to theAperture Test herein, of at least about 150, at least about 175, atleast about 200, or at least about 300, but less than 1,000, forexample.

% Effective Open Area

The topsheets or substrates comprising the repeating pattern ofapertures comprising the plurality of repeat units may have an EffectiveOpen Area between about 3% to about 50%, about 5% to about 50%, about 5%to about 40%, about 5% to about 30%, about 5% to about 25%, about 5% toabout 20%, or about 5% to about 15%, specifically reciting all 0.1%increments within the specified ranges and all ranges formed therein orthereby. All Effective Open Area percentages are determined using theAperture Test described herein.

Effective Aperture Area

The topsheets or substrates comprising the repeating pattern ofapertures comprising the plurality of repeat units may have apertureshaving an Effective Aperture Area in the range of about 0.3 mm² to about15 mm², 0.3 mm² to about 14 mm², 0.4 mm² to about 12 mm², 0.3 mm² toabout 10 mm², 0.5 mm² to about 8 mm², or 1.0 mm² to about 8 mm²,specifically reciting all 0.05 mm² increments within the specifiedranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby. All Effective ApertureAreas are determined using the Aperture Test described herein. Aplurality of the apertures in the repeating pattern of aperturescomprising the plurality of repeat units may be different in EffectiveAperture Areas. The Relative Standard Deviation of the EffectiveAperture Areas in the repeating pattern of apertures comprising theplurality of repeat units may be at least about 50%, or at least about55%, or at least about 60%, for example.

Repeat Unit Measurements

The various repeat units may have certain characteristics, such asrepeat unit area (overall X-Y plane area of the repeat unit), repeatunit width, repeat unit length, for example. Absorbent articlescomprising topsheets or substrates comprising a repeating pattern ofapertures having a plurality of repeat units may have certain numbers ofrepeat units relative to the absorbent article's dimensions and/or totalarea. Those properties are discussed below.

Repeat Unit Area

All of or a majority of individual repeat units in a repeating patternof apertures comprising a plurality of repeat units of a topsheet orsubstrate may have a repeat unit area in the range of about 200 mm² toabout 2,000 mm², about 500 mm² to about 1,750 mm², about 900 mm² toabout 1500 mm², about 730 mm² to about 1,500 mm², about 730 mm² to about1,300 mm², about 700 mm² to about 1,500 mm², about 750 mm² to about1,500 mm², about 1,000 mm² to about 1,500 mm², about 1,100 mm² to about1,400 mm², about 1,150 mm² to about 1,300 mm², about 500 mm² to about1,300 mm², about 600 mm² to about 1,100 mm², about 650 mm² to about1,100 mm², about 700 mm² to about 1,110 mm², about 700 mm² to about1,000 mm², about 750 mm² to about 1000 mm², about 725 mm² to about 975mm², about 730 mm² to about 750 mm², about 785 mm² to about 805 mm²,about 860 mm² to about 880 mm², about 940 mm² to about 960 mm², about200 mm² to about 600 mm², or about 250 mm² to about 600 mm²,specifically reciting all 0.1 mm² increments within the specified rangesand all ranges formed therein or thereby. The repeat unit area may alsobe about 951 mm². Repeat unit areas are measured according to the RepeatUnit Measurement Test herein.

Repeat Unit Width

All of or a majority of individual repeat units in a repeating patternof apertures comprising a plurality of repeat units of a topsheet orsubstrate may have a repeat unit width in the range of about 10 mm toabout 100 mm, about 25 mm to about 75 mm, about 30 mm to about 70 mm,about 35 mm to about 65 mm, about 45 mm to about 55 mm, about 35 mm toabout 55 mm, about 40 mm to about 60 mm, about 45 mm to about 55 mm,about 50 mm, about 10 mm to about 50 mm, about 15 mm to about 50 mm,about 20 mm to about 50 mm, about 25 mm to about 50 mm, about 30 mm toabout 45 mm, about 34 mm to about 42 mm, or about 35 mm to about 41 mm,about 34 mm to about 36 mm, about 36 mm to about 38 mm, about 40 mm toabout 42 mm, specifically reciting all 0.1 mm increments within thespecified ranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby. The repeatunit width may also be about 41 mm. Repeat unit widths are measuredaccording to the Repeat Unit Measurement Test herein.

Repeat Unit Length

All of or a majority of individual repeats unit in a repeating patternof apertures comprising a plurality of repeat units of a topsheet orsubstrate may have a repeat unit length in the range of about 10 mm toabout 100 mm, about 25 mm to about 75 mm, about 35 mm to about 65 mm,about 35 mm to about 55 mm, about 35 to about 50, about 40 mm to about60 mm, about 45 mm to about 55 mm, about 50 mm, about 51 mm, about 51.5mm, about 15 mm to about 50 mm, about 20 mm to about 50 mm, about 25 mmto about 50 mm, about 30 mm to about 45 mm, about 34 mm to about 38 mm,about 35 mm to about 37 mm, about 40 mm to about 44 mm, about 41 mm toabout 43 mm, specifically reciting all 0.1 mm increments within thespecified ranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby. The repeatunit length may also be about 42 mm. Repeat unit lengths are measuredaccording to the Repeat Unit Measurement Test herein.

Repeat Units per Total Length of an Absorbent Article

An absorbent article may have a certain number of repeat units per thetotal length of the absorbent article in the range of about 3 to about30, about 3 to about 25, about 4 to about 18, about 5 to about 16, about5 to about 12, about 6 to about 16, about 6.1 to about 15.8, about 4 toabout 20, about 5 to about 20, about 5 to about 18, about 6 to about 17,about 7 to about 16, about 7.5 to about 15.8, or about 7.5 to about13.4, specifically reciting all 0.1 increments within the specifiedranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby. Repeat units per totallength of an absorbent article are measured according to the Repeat UnitMeasurement Test herein.

Repeat Units per Total Width of an Absorbent Article

An absorbent article may have a certain number of repeat units per totalwidth of the absorbent article in the range of about 2 to about 10,about 2 to about 8, about 2 to about 7.5, about 2.5 to about 7, about 3to about 7, about 3 to about 5, about 3 to about 6.5, about 3.2 to about6.3, about 3.5 to about 6.5, about 4 to about 6.5, about 4 to about 6.3,or about 4 to about 5.4, specifically reciting all 0.1 increments withinthe specified ranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby. Repeatunits per total width of an absorbent article are measured according tothe Repeat Unit Measurement Test herein.

Repeat Units Per Total Area of an Absorbent Article

An absorbent article may have a certain number of repeat units per totalarea of an absorbent article in the range of about 20 to about 220,about 30 to about 220, about 30 to about 210, about 30 to about 200,about 35 to about 110, about 35 to about 200, about 30 to about 180,about 35 to about 180, about 35 to about 175, about 40 to about 170,about 41.7 to about 170, about 40 to about 190, about 45 to about 185,about 50 to about 175, about 53 to about 170, about 53.6 to about 169.7,or about 53.6 to about 132.3, specifically reciting all 0.1 incrementswithin the specified ranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby.The repeat units per total area of an absorbent article are measuredaccording to the Repeat Unit Measurement Test herein.

Table 1:

The above discussed repeat unit measurements were tested for variousabsorbent article sizes and for sample repeating patterns of aperturescomprising a plurality of repeat units as the topsheet of the absorbentarticles as illustrated below. All testing was in accordance with theRepeat Unit Measurement Test herein. “S” in Table 1 below means size ofan absorbent article as they are made commercially, although the presentdisclosure also includes adult incontinence sizes and preemie sizes ofabsorbent articles.

Absorbent Article Dimensions S0 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 Length (mm) 315 373403 440 488 516 528 567 Width (mm) 162 206 206 206 206 222 222 222 Area(mm²) 51,030 76,838 83,018 90,640 100,528 114,552 117,216 125,874 RepeatUnit Dimensions Width Length Area (mm) (mm) (mm²) Pattern 1 35.2 36.4792.8 Pattern 2 37.3 35.9 868.1 Pattern 3 40.9 42.2 951.2 Pattern 4 35.036.1 741.7 Pattern 5 50.0 51.5 1,225.0 Repeat Units/Total AbsorbentArticle Length S0 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 Pattern 1 8.7 10.2 11.1 12.1 13.414.2 14.5 15.6 Pattern 2 8.8 10.4 11.2 12.3 13.6 14.4 14.7 15.8 Pattern3 7.5  8.8  9.5 10.4 11.6 12.2 12.5 13.4 Pattern 4 8.7 10.3 11.2 12.213.5 14.3 14.6 15.7 Pattern 5 6.1  7.2  7.8  8.5  9.5 10.0 10.3 11.0Repeat Units/Total Absorbent Article Width S0 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7Pattern 1 4.6 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 6.3 6.3 6.3 Pattern 2 4.3 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.56.0 6.0 6.0 Pattern 3 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.4 5.4 5.4 Pattern 4 4.6 5.95.9 5.9 5.9 6.3 6.3 6.3 Pattern 5 3.2 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.4 4.4 4.4 RepeatUnits/Total Absorbent Article Area S0 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 Pattern 164.4  96.9 104.7 114.3 126.8 144.5 147.9 158.8 Pattern 2 58.8  88.5 95.6 104.4 115.8 132.0 135.0 145.0 Pattern 3 53.6  80.8  87.3  95.3105.7 120.4 123.2 132.3 Pattern 4 68.8 103.6 111.9 122.2 135.5 154.4158.0 169.7 Pattern 5 41.7  62.7  67.8  74.0  82.1  93.5  95.7 102.8

Embossing

As an alternative execution, a substrate or a topsheet may comprise arepeating pattern of embossments comprising a plurality of repeat unitsformed by embossing instead of using apertures. The embossments/repeatunits formed by embossing may have the same measurements as expressedabove with respect to the repeating patterns of apertures comprising theplurality of repeat units and may be measured using the Repeat UnitMeasurement Test. As a further execution, a topsheet or a substrate maycomprise a repeating pattern comprising the plurality of repeat unitsformed of embossments and apertures, while still retaining the samemeasurements expressed above with respect to the repeating patterns ofapertures comprising the plurality of repeat units.

Zones of Repeat Units

In some instances, zones of repeat units may be present in topsheets orsubstrates of absorbent articles. The zones may be suitably positionedfor urine, BM, or menses acquisition. The repeat units in the variouszones may all be the same or may be different between the various zones.

As an example, an absorbent article may have a central lateral axis. Afirst repeating pattern of apertures comprising a first plurality of thesame first repeat units may be on a first side of the central lateralaxis. A second, different repeating pattern of apertures comprising asecond plurality of the same second repeat units may be on a second sideof the central lateral axis. The first and second repeat units may bedifferent in aperture size, aperture shape, aperture aspect ratio,repeat unit area, aperture pattern, repeat unit width, and/or repeatunit length. In an instance, the pattern of the first repeat units onthe first side of the central lateral axis may be the same as a secondpattern of the second repeat units on the second side of the centrallateral axis. In such an instance, the patterns may have the sameaesthetic appearance, but may be different scales (e.g., repeat unitareas on one side of the lateral axis are smaller). In other instances,the aesthetic appearance of the first repeat units may be different thanthe second repeat units.

A similar concept may apply to zones that are on a first side of centrallongitudinal axis and a second side of the central longitudinal axis.Alternatively, a first zone may be surrounded by a second zone. In someinstances, more than two, or more than three zones may be provided. Anyof the various zones may have any suitable size and shape.

Materials

Some topsheets or substrates of the present disclosure may comprisePE/PP bicomponent fiber spunbond webs. Other suitable webs may comprisespunbond webs comprising side-by-side crimped fibers (e.g., PE/PP orPP/PP) that are bonded via calendar (thermal point) bonding orthrough-air bonding. Other suitable webs may comprise carded,through-air bonded or resin bonded (highloft) nonwovens comprising PE/PPor PE/PET fibers. The webs may comprise nanofibers, optionally withother fibers. In some instances, multiple layer webs may be desired overa single layer webs (even at the same basis weight) due to increaseduniformity/opacity and the ability to combine webs having differentproperties. For example, an extensible spunbond nonwoven carrier layermay be combined with a soft, highloft nonwoven (spunbond or carded) tocreate an apertured web that is both soft and strong. The layers mayhave the same or different surface energy. For example, a top layer of atopsheet or substrate may be hydrophobic and the lower layer may behydrophilic. The layers may have different permeability/capillarity,e.g. the upper layer may have higher permeability and the lower layerhave higher capillarity in order to set up a capillary gradient and aidin moving fluid away from the surface (or topsheet) of an absorbentarticle and into an absorbent core of the absorbent article.

Fibers of the topsheet and substrate webs may comprise any suitablethermoplastic polymers. Example thermoplastic polymers are polymers thatmelt and then, upon cooling, crystallize or harden, but that may bere-melted upon further heating.

The thermoplastic polymers may be derived from any suitable materialincluding renewable resources (including bio-based and recycledmaterials), fossil minerals and oils, and/or biodegradeable materials.Some suitable examples of thermoplastic polymers include polyolefins,polyesters, polyamides, copolymers thereof, and combinations thereof.Polypropylene and/or polypropylene copolymers, including atacticpolypropylene; isotactic polypropylene, syndiotactic polypropylene, andcombination thereof may also be used.

The thermoplastic polymer component may be a single polymer species or ablend of two or more thermoplastic polymers e.g., two differentpolypropylene resins. As an example, fibers of a first nonwoven layer ofa topsheet or substrate web may comprise polymers such as polypropyleneand blends of polypropylene and polyethylene, while a second nonwovenlayer of the topsheet or substrate web may comprise fibers selected frompolypropylene, polypropylene/polyethylene blends, andpolyethylene/polyethylene terephthalate blends. In some forms, a secondnonwoven layer may comprise fibers selected from cellulose rayon,cotton, other hydrophilic fiber materials, or combinations thereof. Thefibers may also comprise a super absorbent material such as polyacrylateor any combination of suitable materials.

The fibers of the topsheet or substrate webs may comprise monocomponentfibers, bi-component fibers, and/or bi-constituent fibers, round fibersor non-round fibers (e.g., capillary channel fibers), and may have majorcross-sectional dimensions (e.g., diameter for round fibers) rangingfrom about 0.1 microns to about 500 microns. The fibers may also be amixture of different fiber types, differing in such features aschemistry (e.g. polyethylene and polypropylene), components (mono- andbi-), denier (micro denier and >2 denier), shape (i.e. capillary andround) and the like. The fibers may range from about 0.1 denier to about100 denier.

As used herein, the term “monocomponent fiber(s)” refers to a fiberformed from one extruder using one or more polymers. This is not meantto exclude fibers formed from one polymer to which small amounts ofadditives have been added for coloration, antistatic properties,lubrication, hydrophilicity, etc.

As used herein, the term “bi-component fiber(s)” refers to fibers whichhave been formed from at least two different polymers extruded fromseparate extruders but spun together to form one fiber. Bi-componentfibers are also sometimes referred to as conjugate fibers ormulticomponent fibers. The polymers are arranged in substantiallyconstantly positioned distinct zones across the cross-section of thebi-component fibers and extend continuously along the length of thebi-component fibers. The configuration of such a bi-component fiber maybe, for example, a sheath/core arrangement wherein one polymer issurrounded by another, or may be a side-by-side arrangement, a piearrangement, or an “islands-in-the-sea” arrangement. Some specificexamples of fibers which may be used in the first nonwoven layer includepolyethylene/polypropylene side-by-side bi-component fibers. Anotherexample is a polypropylene/polyethylene bi-component fiber where thepolyethylene is configured as a sheath and the polypropylene isconfigured as a core within the sheath. Still another example is apolypropylene/polypropylene bi-component fiber where two differentpropylene polymers are configured in a side-by-side configuration.Additionally, forms are contemplated where the fibers of a nonwovenlayer are crimped.

Bi-component fibers may comprise two different resins, e.g. a firstpolypropylene resin and a second polypropylene resin. The resins mayhave different melt flow rates, molecular weights, or molecular weightdistributions.

As used herein, the term “bi-constituent fiber(s)” refers to fiberswhich have been formed from at least two polymers extruded from the sameextruder as a blend. Bi-constituent fibers do not have the variouspolymer components arranged in relatively constantly positioned distinctzones across the cross-sectional area of the fiber and the variouspolymers are usually not continuous along the entire length of thefiber, instead usually forming fibrils which start and end at random.Bi-constituent fibers are sometimes also referred to asmulti-constituent fibers. In other examples, a bi-component fiber maycomprise multiconstituent components.

As used herein, the term “non-round fiber(s)” describes fibers having anon-round cross-section, and includes “shaped fibers” and “capillarychannel fibers.” Such fibers may be solid or hollow, and they may betri-lobal, delta-shaped, and may be fibers having capillary channels ontheir outer surfaces. The capillary channels may be of variouscross-sectional shapes such as “U-shaped”, “H-shaped”, “C-shaped” and“V-shaped”. One practical capillary channel fiber is T-401, designatedas 4DG fiber available from Fiber Innovation Technologies, Johnson City,Tenn. T-401 fiber is a polyethylene terephthalate (PET polyester).

Other example nonwoven materials for the topsheet or substrate webs maycomprise spunbond materials, carded materials, melt blown materials,spunlace materials, needle punched materials, wet-laid materials, orair-laid materials, for example.

Repeat Unit Measurement Test

An absorbent article specimen is taped to a rigid flat surface in aplanar configuration with a topsheet having a repeating pattern ofapertures comprising a plurality of single repeat units facing upward.The article is taped in such way as to avoid introducing distortions ofthe repeating pattern of apertures due to the extent of longitudinal andlateral extension of the absorbent article. Any absorbent article(s)being tested are conditioned at 23° C.±2 C.° and 50%±2% relativehumidity for 2 hours prior to testing. For the purposes of this method,all patterns and distances are taken to be based on the projection ofthe aperture pattern onto a two-dimensional plane.

A single repeat unit (hereafter “SRU”) (for subsequent dimensionalmeasurement) within the topsheet having the repeating pattern ofapertures comprising the plurality of repeating units is defined asfollows. An arbitrary aperture is identified, referred to hereafter asthe “chosen aperture” (hereafter “CA”). Any other aperture in thetopsheet recognized to be in an equivalent position based on thetranslational symmetry of the repeat units is referred to as an“equivalent aperture” (hereafter “EA”). The SRU is defined as the set ofpoints that are closer (via Euclidean distance) to the center of the CAthan to the center of any other EA in the topsheet. The SRU identifiedfor measurement must not touch the edge of the topsheet. After findingall points within the SRU, if it is found that the SRU touches the edgeof the topsheet, this procedure is repeated with an alternative CA. Theprocess is repeated until a SRU that does not touch the edge of thetopsheet is identified.

One approach to determining the set of points of a SRU is based onidentifying a polygonal boundary. Referring to FIG. 24, the boundary ofthe SRU is the convex polygon formed by the intersection of linesegments that immediately border the topsheet region containing the CA.The line segments are identified from lines drawn perpendicular to themidpoint of lines connecting the center of the CA to the center of allneighboring and nearby EA.

Referring to FIG. 25, the SRU length (L) is defined as the feretdiameter parallel to the longitudinal axis of the absorbent article, andthe SRU width (W) is defined as the feret diameter parallel to thelateral axis of the absorbent article. The feret diameter is thedistance between two parallel lines, both of which are tangential to theboundary of the SRU, and is recorded to the nearest 0.1 mm.

The interior area of the SRU is recorded to the nearest 0.1 mm^(2.)

Referring to FIG. 26, the total lateral width of the absorbent articleis measured along the central lateral axis (line X), and is recorded tothe nearest 0.1 mm. The total longitudinal length of the absorbentarticle is measured along the central longitudinal axis (line Y), and isrecorded to the nearest 0.1 mm. The total area of the absorbent articleis calculated by multiplying the total absorbent article width by thetotal absorbent article length, and is recorded to the nearest 0.1mm^(2.)

The number of SRU's per length of the absorbent article is calculated bydividing the total absorbent article longitudinal length by the SRUlength and is recorded to the nearest 0.1 SRU's. The number of SRU's perwidth of the absorbent article is calculated by dividing the totalabsorbent article lateral width by the SRU width and is recorded to thenearest 0.1 SRU's. The number of SRU's per total area of the absorbentarticle is calculated by dividing the total absorbent article area(total absorbent article longitudinal length×total absorbent articlelateral width) by the SRU area and is recorded to the nearest 0.1 SRU's.

Repeat this procedure on five separate substantially similar absorbentarticles having topsheets with a repeating pattern of aperturescomprising a plurality repeat units that are the same or substantiallythe same, and report each of the measurements as the average of the fivereplicates.

Aperture Test

Aperture dimensions, Effective Aperture Area, % Effective Open Area,among other measurements, are obtained from specimen images acquiredusing a flatbed scanner. The scanner is capable of scanning inreflectance mode at a resolution of 6400 dpi and 8 bit grayscale (asuitable scanner is an Epson Perfection V750 Pro from Epson AmericaInc., Long Beach Calif. or equivalent). The scanner is interfaced with acomputer running an image analysis program (a suitable program is ImageJv. 1.47 or equivalent, National Institute of Health, USA). The specimenimages are distance calibrated against an acquired image of a rulercertified by NIST. A steel frame is used to mount the specimen, which isthen backed with a black glass tile (P/N 11-0050-30, available fromHunterLab, Reston, Va.) prior to acquiring the specimen image. Theresulting image is then thresheld, separating open aperture regions fromspecimen material regions, and analyzed using the image analysisprogram. All testing is performed in a conditioned room maintained atabout 23±2° C. and about 50±2% relative humidity.

Sample Preparation:

To obtain a specimen, tape an absorbent article to a rigid flat surfacein a planar configuration. Any leg elastics may be cut to facilitatelaying the article flat. A rectilinear steel frame (100 mm square, 1.5mm thick with an opening 60 mm square) is used to mount the specimen.Take the steel frame and place double-sided adhesive tape on the bottomsurface surrounding the interior opening. Remove the release paper ofthe tape, and adhere the steel frame to the apertured layer of thearticle. Align the frame so that it is parallel and perpendicular to amachine direction (MD) and a cross direction (CD) of the aperturedlayer. Using a razor blade excise the apertured layer from theunderlying layers of the article around the outer perimeter of theframe. Carefully remove the specimen such that its longitudinal andlateral extension is maintained to avoid distortion of the apertures. Acryogenic spray (such as Cyto-Freeze, Control Company, Houston Tex.) maybe used to remove the specimen from the underlying layers if necessary.Five replicates obtained from five substantially similar articles areprepared for analysis. If the apertured layer of interest is too smallto accommodate the steel frame, reduce the frame dimensions accordinglyto accomplish the goals of removal of the specimen without distortion ofthe apertures while leaving an opening of sufficient size to allow forscanning a significant portion of the apertured layer. An apertured orpatterned apertured substrate raw material is prepared for testing byextending or activating it under the same process conditions, and to thesame extent, as it would be for use on the absorbent article, and thenin its extended state adhering it to the steel frame as described abovefor testing. Condition the samples at about 23° C.±2 C.° and about50%±2% relative humidity for 2 hours prior to testing.

Image Acquisition:

Place the ruler on the scanner bed, oriented parallel to sides of thescanner glass, and close the lid. Acquire a calibration image of theruler in reflectance mode at a resolution of 6400 dpi (approximately 252pixels per mm) and 8 bit grayscale, with the field of view correspondingto the dimensions of an interior of the steel frame. Save thecalibration image as an uncompressed TIFF format file. Lift the lid andremove the ruler. After obtaining the calibration image, all specimensare scanned under the same conditions and measured based on the samecalibration file. Next, place the framed specimen onto the center of thescanner bed, lying flat, with the outward facing surface of the specimenfacing the scanner's glass surface. Orient the specimen so that sides ofthe frame are aligned parallel with and perpendicular to the sides ofthe scanner's glass surface, so that the resulting specimen image willhave the MD vertically running from top to bottom. Place the black glasstile on top of the frame covering the specimen, close the lid andacquire a scanned image. Scan the remaining four replicates in likefashion. If necessary, crop all images to a rectangular field of viewcircumscribing the apertured region, and resave the files.

% Effective Open Area Calculation:

Open the calibration image file in the image analysis program andperform a linear distance calibration using the imaged ruler. Thisdistance calibration scale will be applied to all subsequent specimenimages prior to analysis. The 8-bit grayscale image is then converted toa binary image in the following way: If the histogram of gray level (GL)values (ranging from 0 to 255, one bin with propensity Pi per gray leveli) has exactly two local maxima, the threshold gray level value t isdefined as that value for which P_(t−1)>P_(t) and P_(t)≤P_(t+1). If thehistogram has greater than two local maxima, the histogram isiteratively smoothed using a windowed arithmetic mean of size 3, andthis smoothing is performed iteratively until exactly two local maximaexist. The threshold gray level value t is defined as that value forwhich P_(t−1)>P_(t) and P_(t)≤P_(t+1). This procedure identifies thegray level (GL) value for the minimum population located between thedark pixel peak of the aperture holes and the lighter pixel peak of thespecimen material. If the histogram contains either zero or one localmaximum, the method cannot proceed further, and no output parameters aredefined. Threshold the image at the minimum gray level value to generatea binary image. In the binary image the apertures appear as black, witha GL value of 255, and specimen as white, with a GL value of 0.

Using the image analysis program, analyze each of the discrete apertureregions. Measure and record all of the individual aperture areas to thenearest 0.01 mm², including partial apertures along the edges of theimage. Discard any apertures with an area less than 0.3 mm² as“non-effective”. Sum the remaining “effective” aperture areas (includingwhole and partial apertures), divide by the total area included in theimage and multiply by 100. Record this value as the % effective openarea to the nearest 0.01%.

In like fashion, analyze the remaining four specimen images. Calculateand report the average % effective open area values to the nearest 0.01%for the five replicates.

Effective Aperture Dimension Measurements:

Open the calibration image (containing the ruler) file in the imageanalysis program. Resize the resolution of the original image from 6400dpi to 640 dpi (approximately 25.2 pixels per mm) using a bicubicinterpolation. Perform a linear distance calibration using the imagedruler. This distance calibration scale will be applied to all subsequentspecimen images prior to analysis. Open a specimen image in the imageanalysis program. Resize the resolution of the original image from 6400dpi to 640 dpi (approximately 25.2 pixels per mm) using a bicubicinterpolation. A distance scale is set according to the linear distancecalibration established using the calibration image. The 8-bit grayscaleimage is then converted to a binary image in the following way: If thehistogram of gray level (GL) values (ranging from 0 to 255, one bin withpropensity P_(i) per gray level i) has exactly two local maxima, thethreshold gray level value t is defined as that value for whichP_(t−1)>P_(t) and P_(t)≤P_(t+1). If the histogram has greater than twolocal maxima, the histogram is iteratively smoothed using a windowedarithmetic mean of size 3, and this smoothing is performed iterativelyuntil exactly two local maxima exist. The threshold gray level value tis defined as that value for which P_(t−1)>P_(t) and P_(t)≤P_(t+1). Thisprocedure identifies the gray level (GL) value for the minimumpopulation located between the dark pixel peak of the aperture holes andthe lighter pixel peak of the specimen material. If the histogramcontains either zero or one local maximum, the method cannot proceedfurther, and no output parameters are defined. Threshold the image atthe minimum gray level value to generate a binary image. In the binaryimage, the apertures appear as black, with a GL value of 255, andspecimen as white, with a GL value of 0. Next, two morphologicaloperations are then performed on the binary image. First, a closing (adilation operation, which converts any white background pixel that istouching, 8-connected, a black aperture region pixel into a blackaperture region pixel thereby adding a layer of pixels around theperiphery of the aperture region, followed by an erosion operation,which removes any black aperture region pixel that is touching,8-connected, a white background pixel thereby removing a layer of pixelsaround the periphery of the aperture region, iterations=1, pixelcount=1), which removes stray fibers within an aperture hole. Second, anopening (an erosion operation followed by a dilation operation,iterations=1, pixel count=1), which removes isolated black pixels. Padthe edges of the image during the erosion step to ensure that blackboundary pixels are maintained during the operation. Lastly, fill anyremaining voids enclosed within the black aperture regions.

Using the image analysis program, analyze each of the discrete apertureregions. During the analysis exclude measurements of partial aperturesalong the edges of the image, so that only whole apertures are measured.Measure and record all of the individual effective aperture areas,perimeters, feret diameters (length of the apertures) along with itscorresponding angle of orientation in degrees from 0 to 180, and minimumferet diameters (width of the apertures). Record the measurements foreach of the individual elements areas to the nearest 0.01 mm², theperimeters and feret diameters (length and width), to the nearest 0.01mm, and angles to the nearest 0.01 degree. Discard any apertures with anarea less than 0.3 mm² as “non-effective”. Record the number ofremaining apertures, divide by the area of the image, and record as theAperture Density value. The angle of orientation for an aperture alignedwith the MD (vertical in the image) will have an angle of 90 degrees.Apertures with a positive slope, increasing from left to right, willhave an angle between zero and 90 degrees. Apertures with a negativeslope, decreasing from left to right, will have an angle between 90 and180 degrees. Using the individual aperture angles calculate an AbsoluteFeret Angle by subtracting 90 degrees from the original angle oforientation and taking its absolute value. In addition to thesemeasurements, calculate an Aspect Ratio value for each individualaperture by dividing the aperture length by its width. Repeat thisanalysis for each of the remaining four replicate images. Calculate andreport the statistical mean and standard deviation for each of theeffective aperture dimension, the Absolute Feret Angle, and the AspectRatio measurements using all of the aperture values recorded from thereplicates. Record the average of the individual Absolute Feret Anglemeasurements as the Average Absolute Feret Angle value. Calculate andreport the % relative standard deviation (RSD) for each of the aperturedimension, the Absolute Feret Angle, and the Aspect Ratio measurementsby dividing the standard deviation by the mean and multiplying by 100.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood asbeing strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead,unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean boththe recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding thatvalue. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean“about 40 mm.”

Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or relatedpatent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation ofany document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect toany embodiment disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in anycombination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests ordiscloses any such embodiment. Further, to the extent that any meaningor definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning ordefinition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, themeaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shallgovern.

While particular embodiments of the present disclosure have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It istherefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An absorbent article comprising: a centrallateral axis; a central longitudinal axis extending perpendicular to thecentral lateral axis; a liquid permeable apertured, nonwoven topsheet; aliquid impermeable backsheet; and an absorbent core disposed at leastpartially intermediate the topsheet and the backsheet; the absorbentarticle having a total length along the central longitudinal axis, asmeasured according to the Repeat Unit Measurement Test; the absorbentarticle having a total width along the central lateral axis, as measuredaccording to the Repeat Unit Measurement Test; wherein the aperturedtopsheet comprises a repeating pattern of apertures comprising aplurality of repeat units; wherein each of the repeat units is the sameor substantially the same; wherein the repeat units repeat between about3 and about 7 times along the total width, as measured by the RepeatUnit Measurement Test herein; and 730 mm² to about 1,400 mm².
 2. Theabsorbent article of claim 1, wherein at least a majority of the repeatunits have a repeat unit width in the range of about 30 mm to about 70mm or about 35 mm to about 55 mm, as measured by the Repeat UnitMeasurement Test.
 3. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein at leasta majority of the repeat units have a repeat unit length in the range ofabout 30 mm to about 70 mm or about 35 mm to about 55 mm, as measured bythe Repeat Unit Measurement Test.
 4. The absorbent article of claim 1,wherein the repeat unit area is in the range of about 730 mm² to about1,300 mm².
 5. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the repeat unitsrepeat between about 4 to about 18 times, along the total length, asmeasured by the Repeat Unit Measurement Test herein.
 6. The absorbentarticle of claim 1, wherein the repeat units repeat between about 2 toabout 8, times along the total width, as measured by the Repeat UnitMeasurement Test herein.
 7. The absorbent article of claim 1, whereinthe repeat units per total area of the absorbent article is betweenabout 30 to about 180, as measured by the Repeat Unit Measurement Testherein.
 8. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein each repeat unitcomprises a central region of apertures that is spaced apart from otherapertures.
 9. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein at least some ofthe apertures comprise melt lips on portions of perimeters of the atleast some of the apertures.
 10. The absorbent article of claim 1,wherein at least some of the apertures are free of melt lips onperimeters of the at least some of the apertures.
 11. The absorbentarticle of claim 1, wherein at least some of the apertures in one ormore of the repeat units are different in size or shape than otherapertures in the one or more repeat units.
 12. The absorbent article ofclaim 1, wherein at least some of the apertures in one or more of therepeat units are the same in size and shape as other apertures in theone or more repeat units.
 13. The absorbent article of claim 1, whereineach repeat unit has an outer pattern of apertures and a central patternof apertures, and wherein the central pattern of apertures are at leastpartially, or fully surrounded by the outer pattern of apertures. 14.The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the topsheet has a first layeron a wearer-facing surface of the absorbent article, and wherein thetopsheet has a second layer on a garment-facing surface of the absorbentarticle.
 15. The absorbent article of claim 14, wherein the first layeris hydrophobic, and wherein the second layer is hydrophilic.
 16. Theabsorbent article of claim 14, wherein the first layer and/or the secondlayer comprises spunbond fibers.
 17. The absorbent article of claim 14,wherein the first layer comprises spunbond fibers or carded fibers, andwherein the second layer comprises spunbond fibers or carded fibers. 18.The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the topsheet comprises awhitening additive and/or an opacifying additive.
 19. An absorbentarticle comprising: a central lateral axis; a central longitudinal axisextending perpendicular to the central lateral axis; a liquid permeableapertured, nonwoven topsheet; a liquid impermeable backsheet; and anabsorbent core disposed at least partially intermediate the topsheet andthe backsheet; the absorbent article having a total length along thecentral longitudinal axis, as measured according to the Repeat UnitMeasurement Test; the absorbent article having a total width along thecentral lateral axis, as measured according to the Repeat UnitMeasurement Test; wherein the apertured topsheet comprises a repeatingpattern of apertures comprising a plurality of repeat units; whereineach of the repeat units is substantially the same; and wherein therepeat units repeat between about 3 and about 7 times along the totalwidth, as measured by the Repeat Unit Measurement Test herein.
 20. Anabsorbent article comprising: a central lateral axis; a centrallongitudinal axis extending perpendicular to the central lateral axis; aliquid permeable apertured, nonwoven topsheet; a liquid impermeablebacksheet; and an absorbent core disposed at least partiallyintermediate the topsheet and the backsheet; the absorbent articlehaving a total length along the central longitudinal axis, as measuredaccording to the Repeat Unit Measurement Test; the absorbent articlehaving a total width along the central lateral axis, as measuredaccording to the Repeat Unit Measurement Test; wherein the aperturedtopsheet comprises a repeating pattern of apertures comprising aplurality of repeat units; wherein each of the repeat units issubstantially the same; wherein the repeat units repeat between about 3and about 5 times along the total width, as measured by the Repeat UnitMeasurement Test herein; wherein the repeat units repeat between about 5and about 12 times along the total length, as measured by the RepeatUnit Measurement Test herein; wherein the repeat units per total area ofthe absorbent article is between about 35 to about 180, as measured bythe Repeat Unit Measurement Test herein; and wherein at least a majorityof the repeat units have a repeat unit area in the range of about 1,100mm² to about 1,400 mm².